the seven devils [completed]

prologue

"What do you know of fate, Varya?" he asked as he made another move of his wand.

"That it is a power unlike any other, something that will not budge in the face of aversion," she answered clearly, remembering what one of her teachers had said.

"Not quite," Albus rebutted, looking at her intently. "You see, fate is not stationary. Fate is the consequence of our actions, whether good or bad. It can be changed by the smallest decision. Yesterday, your fate was to serve at this school and hopefully become a weathercaster."

The girl winced at the idea, knowing that she terribly dreaded it. As much as her peers thought it to be an honor, Varya thought she was destined for greater things than riding a dragon around the mountains and bringing rain.

"Today, however, you might be the key to saving the wizarding world" Dumbledore continued, his answer making the girl look at him with confusion. "Recently, I have made a terrible discovery. While investigating a shift in the time vail, I happened to glance into the future. The things I saw were terrible, I must admit."

He then invited her to gaze into the cauldron. The girl put her small hands on the edge, peaking at what was inside. She gasped as she saw destruction, murder, and pain dominate the wizarding land. A ghost-like creature waved its wand towards a small baby, only for a green light to dash towards him. Truly that creature could not be human, could it? But then why did it speak like a wizard and why did it posses a wand? She watched as war took place, resulting in the deaths of hundreds, and wondered if this is what her parents had seen on the front line of Grindlewald's battles. The images stopped and Albus looked at her horrified face.

"As you can see, the future is unforgiving. Nevertheless, it is my hope that with your help, we could stop this." he preached, waving his hand towards what she had witnessed.

"But...how could I ever stop something like that?" she thought out loud, her gaze lost. Although she had been the top of her class, she was no savior. Not only did she not possess the strength to fight a war, but she also did not know if she wanted to be the person to defy fate. If Albus was being truthful with her, then this was what the future held and anyone who dared defies it would pay the price. Nature required balance.

"I believe that you are powerful, Varya. Not only in magic, but also in your heart. You carry an uncontrolled force inside of you, something that requires you to pay back for the wrongdoings of your parents. I am not asking you to fight, but I am asking you to help me prevent this."

"How could I prevent this? Surely you are more trained than I am and yet you come here asking for the help of teenager," she did not want to sound disrespectful, but the idea of her stopping the death of thousands was unthinkable.

"I want you to come back with me, I want you to attend my school," he started and Varya's heart started beating again. "The evilness that you saw in my memory currently walks the halls in the form of a young boy. Tom Riddle. I believe that he is not past redemption, he needs someone who can guide him."

"I do not think that anyone could change the heart of someone so evil" Varya stated, her chin held high as she defended her view. Fate could not be messed with.

"I believe that Tom Riddle is a lost soul. He seeks for someone to understand him, to show him that he is capable of love and friendship. A tragic fate he has had, born under the influence of a love potion and placed in an orphanage shortly after. Many believe that those who find themselves in such a predicament are incapable of emotion, but my research has proven otherwise," Albus paced the room, his gaze falling on the portraits of The Order of Dragon. The past rulers of Wallachia, those who had started the first line of vampires and strigoi. Vlad Țepes looked at him, his pained eyes full of remorse. "You come from a very ancient line of magic, which means that you possess more power than the average wizard, maybe even more so that some of the twenty-eight families of England. Your education has made you knowledgable of the dark arts, which will attract Riddle towards you, and your reputation will make you a mystery."

Varya doubted his words, still unsure of her capabilities. Even so, the promise of escaping Romania and rejoining the wizarding world made her consider it. Redeeming her honor and name, amounting to something more than a weathercaster, and attending a prestigious school made her think of the possibility.

"And if I fail?" she asked, still doubtful.

"We are all doomed," Albus told her as he spun to face her. Her heart dropped. "But then again, are we not doomed already? You stared into the future yourself and saw what will come of us. What is there to lose?"

She pondered on his words for a second, acknowledging his point of view. As much as she was scared of failing, there was truly nothing that she could do to make it worse. She knew that she was the wrong person and failed to understand what made her special, but her selfishness asked her...no...begged her to take Albus up on his offer, to get out of those forest-covered mountains. This was her way out and her soul was weak, she could not pass upon it.

"When do we leave?" the girl asked, hopefulness spilling out with each word.

Albus smiled at her, an all-knowing twinkle in his eyes. He could see the desperation in her, the need to prove herself worthy and leave her current life behind. "Tomorrow morning. We will go to London to get you your necessities. Books, a wand, and proper clothes."

Varya looked down at her attire, making note of the blood-red skirt that was embroidered with traditional sigils of the school, a stark contrast against her black sweater. Truly, her uniform was the most pleasant thing about her school, but she could not care about that for now. Albus had said that she would get a wand. Her first want. Although she did not need one to do magic, her excitement flashed across her face.

"Well then, go pack. There are only a few hours left until dawn and we must leave before anyone else wakes up," he said, his eyes traveling to the door. Varya nodded, thanked him, and ran out of the door, making sure to close it behind her. She could not have her one-way ticket killed by a strigoi tonight.

Once he saw her leave the room, Albus sighed and turned towards the cauldron. With another wave of his wand, the memory continued playing. He watched as Lord Voldemort approached the school and his gaze fell upon a raven-haired teenage girl standing in the front line, her wand raised in a defying manner. Dumbledore watched carefully, just as he had done when he saw it for the first time, and wondered how Varya Petrov had managed to preserve her age and lead the defense.

He truly hoped that he had not made a mistake.